How to answer hard interview questions : and everything else you need to know to get the job you want

183 Pages·2009·1.866 MB·English

by  Gibbs, Charlie

How to
answer
hard
interview
questions
...and everything else you need
to know to get the job you want
Charlie Gibbs
howtobooks
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How to
answer
hard
interview
questions
...and everything else you need
to know to get the job you want
Charlie Gibbs
howtobooks
Published by How To Content,
A division of How To Books Ltd,
Spring Hill House
Spring Hill Road
Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RX
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All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced
or stored in an information retrieval system (other than for
the purposes of review), without the express permission of the
Publisher given in writing.

The right of Charlie Gibbs to be identified as the author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First edition 2008
Second edition 2009
First published in electronic form 2009

© 2009 Charlie Gibbs

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library

ISBN 978 1 84803 362 7

Produced for How to Books by Deer Park Productions, Tavistock
Typeset by Pantek Arts Ltd, Maidstone, Kent

NOTE: The material contained in this book is set out in good
faith for general guidance and no liability can be accepted
for loss or expense incurred as a result of relying in particular
circumstances on statements made in this book. Laws and
regulations are complex and liable to change, and readers should
check the current position with the relevant authorities before
making personal arrangements.
CONTENTS
PREFACE xi
1 FINDING THAT JOB 1
Fillinginyourapplicationform 2
Curriculavitae 3
2 PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW 5
Assessingyourself 6
Personalratingsandcompetencies 6
Levelsofcompetence 10
Researchingtheorganisation 31
Timingiseverything 34
Planningwhattowear 35
WhatshouldItakewithme? 38
Outsidethedragon’sden 39
3 LEGISLATION THAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO COMPLY WITH 40
Legislationaffectingrecruitment 40
RehabilitationofOffendersAct1974 41
SexDiscriminationAct1975 41
RaceRelationsAct1976 44
TradeUnionandLabourRelations(Consolidation)Act1992 45
DisabilityDiscriminationAct1995 45
AsylumandImmigrationAct1996 48
PoliceAct1997 50
EmploymentEqualityRegulations2003 51
DataProtectionAct1998 51
Theemploymenttribunal 51
V
VI • HOW TO ANSWER HARD INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
4 UNDERSTANDING THE EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVE 54
Preparation 54
Conductingtheinterview 55
Theimportanceofinterviewnotes 56
5 CONDUCTING YOURSELF AT THE INTERVIEW 57
6 COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ... AND HOW
TO ANSWER THEM 60
Questionsabout...
...yourdriveforachievement 60
...yourstrategicthinking 67
...yourrelationshipbuilding 71
...yourcommercialawareness 75
...yourleadershipofchange 79
...yourleadershipskills 82
...yourcontinuousimprovement 86
...yourcustomerawareness 92
...yourdecision-makingskillsandjudgement 95
...yourinfluencingskills 97
...yourdevelopmentofselfandothers 101
...yourteamworkingskills 105
The‘...andfinally’questions 109
7 QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK AT YOUR INTERVIEW 113
First-roundinterviews 113
Final-stageinterview 115
8 QUESTIONS ASKED BY READERS 117
Searchingforinformation 117
9 AFTER THE INTERVIEW 122
Learningfromrejection 122
Resigningfromyourcurrentjob 127
CONTENTS • VII
10 TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS 130
11 FURTHER TYPICAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 133
Driveforachievement 133
Strategicthinking 136
Relationshipbuilding 137
Commercialawareness 138
Leadershipofchange 140
Leadershipskills 142
Continuousimprovement 144
Customerawareness 147
Decision-makingskillsandjudgement 149
Influencingskills 151
Developmentofselfandothers 154
Teamworkingskills 156
Specialistknowledge 157
Appendix:Thejoke’sonHR 159
Indexofquestions 165
Index 169
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